Cold Hearted
by I'm Wasting My Time
Summary: A new guardian has joined, but the Guardians aren't the only one who have formed a new ally. Whilst trying to defend all children from Pitch and his allies, Jack tries to get to know this new guardian a little better. Except she's his exact opposite, at least she acts like it.
1. Chapter 1

I lay in my forest, sighing. Jamie has grown up, and now I have to find another kid with such strong beliefs. It shouldn't take long, anyway. I'm Jack Frost, I'm sure to create happiness for kids everywhere! In fact, I think it's time for a snow day…  
Snatching my staff, I take to the air and glance around the town below me. I spot Jamie's old house and peek through the window, spotting a young girl. She has brown hair reaching her shoulders, wide brown eyes and is gawping at me. She looks so much like someone I used to know… Someone I'll never get back. _Wait, she can see me!_ Jamie must have told her all about me. He might have mentioned Bunnymund, Toothiana, Santa and Sandman, but I know _I_ was his favourite. I grin to myself, preparing to push open the window and introduce myself, but the girl has already pulled the window open and is beaming in my direction.  
"Verity! You came back!" She squeals, and my smirk drops. Spinning around, I see a girl flying behind me. She grins, pushes me away from the window and ruffles the young girls' hair.  
"Of course I came back, wee lassie!" The flying girl chirps, "But now, duty calls! See you some other time, cupcake!"  
"Promise you'll come back?" The young girl whispers. I pretend to vomit at how soppy that sounds.  
"Don't I always?"  
Once hearing this, I pretend to die on the spot. "Cringe!" I call out to the flying girl, laughing. She leaves the younger girl and grabs my arm, dragging me down to _my_ forest.  
"Can I help you?" she snaps. I'm taken aback by this.  
"Excuse me?" I respond, lowering my hood. Before she can respond, the ground next to us crumples and Bunnymund appears.  
"Jack, Verity, we gotta go. Hop in."  
Casting one last glare at the girl, Verity, I dive into the hole in the ground and arrive at the North Pole, where I am greeted by Santa Claus and Toothiana. "Hello Santa, Tooth Fairy. Are you here to tell me I'm on the naughty list again, or is it there evil lurking?" I chuckle, remembering how we had defeated Pitch.  
"Jack," Santa starts, smiling as he speaks, "There is a new member of the team. Her name is Verity Amour."  
"Hello, Jack Frost." A bold and bouncy voice comes from behind me. Spinning around, I set eyes upon the new face of the group. Her eyes are a breath taking blue; her lips are a luscious red. Her hair is incredibly long and blonde, she's just beautiful. The girl is floating just above the ground, but she doesn't have wings like The Tooth Fairy does. The loaded bow in her hands triggers a train of thought, only I can't figure out who this guardian is. "I've heard a lot about you," she continues, "But you don't seem to have a clue who I am." I feel my icy pale cheeks grow pink as I drop my head in shame. She's right. Looking through my white fringe, Verity has her bow pointed at me. "Take a guess what I do, sweetheart," she whispers, and on the back of the arrow, the fletch is in a red, heart shaped design.


	2. Chapter 2

"Cupid!" I nearly shout at her. _Of course! No wonder she's so beautiful, she controls love and beauty!_ I grind my teeth together, furious at how easily I've been played.  
She smirks at me. Irritated, I almost use my staff to harm her. "Ah, ah, temper, temper!" she wags her finger, laughing at me. I scowl, liking this new guardian less and less. The Easter Bunny pats me on the shoulder and I turn away from Verity Amour, now glaring at the rabbit in front of me.  
"Cheer up, mate! She's part of the team now, whether you like it or not," he grins, "Hey, I wasn't too fond of you when you first joined, but now… I don't hate you that much. Well, sometimes." He pulled me under his furry arm and ruffled my hair. Laughing, I pull back and run a hand through the snowy mess on the top of my head.  
"So," I turn to the girl but observe my staff, "let's see what you can do."  
"Oh, I don't think you want to see my work," she smiles, twirling her bow through her fingers, "It's very serious business, but you wouldn't know about that, now, would you?" I grit my teeth together again, trying my best not to snap all the insults I have at her.  
"Santa!" I bark, "Does she _have_ to be on the team?!"  
"Jack," the red man's voice comes from behind me, "if you had to set everyone up with their true love, would you be the happiest person on the planet?"  
I think about it, having to shoot one person and then find their perfect match. If I missed, I'd be in deep trouble. Not being able to have fun with my work… _Wow,_ I think,_ being cupid must really suck.  
_"Fine," I growl. The girl has stopped smiling now, and a frown takes its place as she tucks a loose lock of her red hair behind her ear. "Just one thought, though," I add, "Who _are_ you?"  
"Verity Amour…"  
"No, no. Before. Who _were_ you, before you became a Guardian?"


	3. Chapter 3

Verity let out a long sigh, before grabbing my arm and sprouting feathered wings. Everything happened so fast, and the two of us were suddenly in a peaceful meadow. "Where are we?" I asked Verity, "Where are the others?"  
"Relax, Jack," Verity breathes, climbing onto a large boulder and sitting down, "Just sit down and I'll answer your questions."  
I do as I'm told and sit on one of the boulders, staring at the girl in front of me. "What _are_ you?" I ask, raising my eyebrows as I tilt my head.  
"An angel, now shut up."  
"Wow, angel. Don't act like one, sweetheart," I mutter under my breath. There's a quick movement and Verity has one of her arrows in my face.  
"Love hurts, buddy," she spits at me, "especially when they don't love you back."  
"Wait, wait, wait, if you were to shoot me, who would I fall in love with?" I ask her. She doesn't lower her bow until a good few moments.  
"Me," she utters, her voice sounding absolutely disgusted, as she lowers her loaded bow, "You see, people do fall in love at sight. I make it happen like that. If I hit one mortal but don't hit another within a few seconds, the one I hit doesn't know who they're in love with. So they fall in love with nobody, which drives them insane. When you're in love with someone and they don't love you back, it hurts, but when you have no idea who to be in love with, it's agonizing."  
I stuck my tongue out, repulsed. She chuckles gently, shaking her head at me. "I won't go into too much detail then," she smiles, not a smirk, not a sneer, but a gentle, friendly smile, "Besides, I believe you wanted to know about my past?"  
"Yes! Did you die from heart break or something? Like, I froze to death and now I'm Jack Frost, so if you're Cupid, then you must have died from a broken heart or something."  
"Close. You see, about 300 years ago, I was 17 and I had a boyfriend. He was so amazing, with the most beautiful brown eyes and flawless brown hair… And it was sometime in winter when his little sister was knocking on my door. She was panicking, tears streaming down her face and her words were hard to make out, but she dragged me to this frozen lake. There was a broken section, and then I realised… Jack, my boyfriend, not you, had died and I felt everything inside of me shatter. From that moment, I knew that I was dead, too," tears roll down Verity's face and my stomach churns, "So, I comforted his sister, telling her everything's alright and I walked her home. I explained to her Mother about Jack, and she hugged me as we both cried. When I walked back home, a part of me wanted to dive into the ice and die to be with him once again… but I marched home and cried for hours on end. It was around midnight when I looked out of the window, where the moon was staring directly at me. Suddenly, I felt a massive urge to go for a walk outside, and I didn't resist."  
"What happened?" I croak, tears forming in my eyes as I think of my own sister. I never even got to say goodbye.  
"I got deep into the woods when I turned to the moon and it… it spoke to me. It apologised, and I heard a rustle from behind me. Turning around, I received an arrow right through my heart..." She looks up at me, her eyes red and puffy, and a weak smile upon on her face. I felt sympathy for her, but she rolled her eyes.  
"Wait," I say, "The little girl… what happened to her?"  
"I watched over her. She was such a good kid… made the most of her life once her brother died. It's a shame, really. She never got to say goodbye to him…" she sighs, glancing up at me, she wipes her eyes, "Anyway, let's go back."


	4. Chapter 4

She takes hold of my arm and takes us back to the North Pole. Toothiana grins her toothy grin at us as we return, "Glad that the two of you are friends now!" she exclaims.  
"Oh, yeah, best of friends," I grin, rolling my eyeballs.  
"Keep dreaming!" cackles Verity. I glance towards her, confused. _Hadn't she just confessed everything in me? Didn't she take me away from everyone else so she could tell me in secret?  
_"Jack!" three voices simultaneously shout, while a girl with long blonde hair stares at me through wide, annoyed eyes.  
"Huh, wait, what?" I blink, glancing up towards Santa, "What's wrong?"  
"You need to pay attention, Jack, this is serious!" Toothiana exclaims, flying in my face as she speaks.  
"What's happened?" I ask, turning my gaze to Bunnymund, "Is it Pitch?"  
"Yeah," Bunnymund responds, "Only this time he's not alone."  
"Wait, what do you mean?" asks Verity. I glance around the room, confused. Something just didn't seem right…  
"Pitch… he has his allies. There's the Sleep Catcher, Dormir Voleur, who steals children's ability to sleep if they're up too late…" Toothiana whispers, "And we think… he might have the Piper with him too. The Piper steals children away, only we don't know where they go… every child we've lost to Piper, we never managed- we were never able to… to get back…" Toothiana burst into tears, along with her fairies. I glance to Verity, to see all the colour has drained from her face. She's clearly thinking about that girl she cares for.  
"We can stop them," I say, as the atmosphere in the room shifts to fear and dismay, "Can't we, North?" When I get no response from him, I begin to panic, "Bunny? Tooth? San–" I scan the room. Sandman isn't here.  
"Where's Sandy?" asks Verity. Her voice sounds like it's cracking, she must be on the urge of tears. _Why was she picked to be a guardian?_  
"Sandy is… well, you know. Sandy has to send children to sleep, time zones are a blessing and a curse," North says in attempt to reassure her, "depending on your duty."  
"This is important," I interrupt, "Does Sandy already know?"  
"Sandy was first to know."  
"But why isn't he here?!"  
"Jack!" yells Tooth, "Sandy is fine, don't worry!"  
I glare at them all, appalled that they've just left him on his own like that. I push open the nearest window and fly out of it, scanning the skies for the sand cloud, or hopefully a cloud of nightmares.


	5. Chapter 5

"Jack."  
I spin around, to see Verity flying behind me. She's got her bow in her hand, so she must be getting ready to set people up.  
"What?" I say, raising my eyebrows and flying away from her.  
"No need to be so cold," she spits, and I freeze in the air.  
"At least I have a reason to be," I snap back at her, "Now tell me, why aren't you all lovey, sweet and cuddly?"  
"Why should I be?" she growls back at me. I laugh, performing flips in the sky as I do.  
"Really?" I manage to say eventually, "You're Cupid! You're all love and stuff!"  
"I never picked my duty, it was forced upon me," she hisses, "Not all of us get to just have fun." I can't help but smirk at her, although her glares do make me feel uncomfortable. She dives down to the park below us, loading her bow and aiming for her couples. I watch her from my height. It's strange, how she lurks out of view and swiftly shoots the people, how they seem to feel no pain but are smiling stupidly at each other. I roll my eyes and pretend to vomit, only to see the blonde guardian staring up at me. _Perfect._ I smile at her and perform my tricks. Backflips, front flips, dives and everything. She's shaking her head at me, so I fall. Of course, I'm not really pummelling to my death, but it's enough for her to grab me and safely land me on the ground. I decide to play dead for a few minutes, just to annoy her, but my prank is interrupted by soft sobbing. I sit up straight to see Verity curled up and crying gently. I crouch behind her.  
"You do care."  
She turns around, an expression of shock on her face. This expression lasts for under a second, before the anger kicks in.  
"I thought you were dead!" she shouts at me, snatching my hoodie and shaking me furiously.  
"And you care because?" I reply, raising my eyebrows and prying her hands off me.  
"I don't, the Guardians do," she scowls, "What? Did you think I actually cared? Dream on."  
"Then why were you crying?"  
"I wasn't crying."  
"I just saw you!"  
"Don't know what you're talking about."  
"Wait! You are a Guardian, so you do care!"  
She didn't respond to my witty deduction, so I just walk around her in circles, conjuring a snow ball as I do. "Hey, snowflake," I whisper, stopping still and glancing at her, "Think fast."  
"What?"  
I laugh as I launch the snowball at her, catching her pretty face. Her eyes flicked to green as a smile slowly spread on her face. She threw one back at me, and soon enough we were having a great time. It didn't last, however, as the smile suddenly disappeared.  
**"**Stop it," she sighs, sitting down. I crouch beside her, but she turns away from me, "go away."  
"Verity…" I try to think of anything comforting to say, but I don't know if she's upset or just doesn't like me, "What's wrong?"  
"You're wrong," she says bitterly, "Do you know how hard my job is? I can't stop to have fun!"  
"It's not my fault!" I shout back in defence, "Does nothing please you?!" I snatch my staff, but she just loads her bow.  
"If you even try…" she growls, spinning around. I scowl at her, tempted to snatch the bow from her hands.  
"You need a day off," I smirk, putting a hand in my pocket.  
"I'm not having a snow ball fight with you," she mutters, shooting one of her arrows at a person passing by. Immediately after she shoots someone coming in the opposite direction.  
"Fine," I say as I float above her, "We'll build a snowman. We can even have a discussion about your work or past."  
"If it will make you stop bothering me, fine."  
I smile, and glancing down at Verity, I see that she is too.


	6. Chapter 6

I return to the ground and begin to form the base of a snowman, until Verity shoves me. "Jack!" she hisses, "There are people here!"  
"Yeah… so?" I rub my head and brush the snow off my jumper.  
"So if they don't believe in us, all they can see is a snowman building itself!" She has a point. The people here seem far too old to believe in us, except they might believe in Cupid. Probably not, though.  
"Ah, fair point. What should we do, then?" I ask, rubbing the back of my neck. She looks thoughtful as she begins to hover above the ground, but the expression on her face disappears when she shoots two of her love arrows. I roll my eyes, flying over to the people who she shot and forming a road of ice, causing them to bump into each other and get all flustered.  
"Nice," she smiles warmly at me, chuckling gently, "I see you could work with me. During the winter, of course."  
"Working isn't really my thing, snowflake," I laugh at her offer and she overtakes me in the air.  
"Fair enough," she sighs, rolling in the air and getting tangled in her long hair, "I wouldn't really want to work with you anyway."  
"What's that meant to mean?" I snap back, frowning.  
"Oh, nothing," she stops rolling and just floats, "Just that you're probably not good at serious business, that's all."  
"Hey!" I fly ahead of her, "I can be serious!"  
"Don't make me laugh!" she raises her eyebrows at me, before laughing at me. I narrow my eyes, before blasting her with my staff. I didn't mean any harm, just to give her a bit of a chill. She started shivering and sneezing, and I knew I had to get away before she got me back. I look back at her, grinning.  
"Catch me if you can!" I jeer, an arrow skimming my arm and cutting my jumper. Verity's eyes widen with fear, freezing in the air.  
"_No!_" she exclaims, diving after the arrow. I follow closely after, to see it hit a young boy. I glance to Verity, who is franticly scanning the area for someone who could be his match. She quickly loads her bow and aims for the boy's best friend, closing her eyes as she shoots. She returns to the ground, covering her face and sobs gently. Feeling guilty, I try to comfort her.  
"I'm so, so sorry…" I whisper, crouching besides her, "But now they're in love with their best friend. Isn't that a good thing?"  
"No!" she barks at me, pushing me away from her, "It wasn't their time! By the time they're old enough to understand what love is, it'll have worn off!"  
"How does it wear off?" I ask, confused. _People can stay married for years… how could it possibly wear off?_  
"If I shoot them when they're too young, they don't understand what love is! They see it as a powerful friendship, that's why I hit teens and young adults!" she sobs, hugging her knees and crying into her arms. I can't help but feel bad for her.  
"Well, can't you shoot them again?"  
"I could never find them again!"  
"Then how do you fix everyone else's marriage problems?"  
"It's luck, chance! I can't fix everyone's…"  
I chew my lower lip, hugging my staff as I try to think of something to stop this girl from crying. _Why should I?_ The small voice in the back of my head asks, _all she has been is rude to you. Every time she acts the littlest bit friendly, she stops immediately and is just ignorant again. _I stare at her, my stomach churning as I do. _No, she's my friend, even if I'm not hers._ I shake my staff and point it towards the sky, causing snow to fall down. I glance around, until finally casting my gaze upon the blonde girl at my side. She wipes her eyes as the snowflakes fall into her long hair. She smiles weakly at the children who are running around in the snow, before looking up at me.  
"Okay, I guess that's pretty cool," she sniffs. I outstretch my hand and help her to her feet, so she can glance at my work. Her smile widens as she watches it fall, but it quickly fades away.  
"Come on, let's get back to the others," I whisper, taking to the sky and waiting for her to join me. She flies by my side, only she doesn't speak to me. _What am I doing wrong?_


	7. Chapter 7

Once returning to the others, I sigh. Verity is chatting away with Tooth about how sweet little children are.  
"I see you've hit off with Cupid," smirks Bunnymund while Santa chuckles, even Babytooth is winking at me and then pointing at Verity. I burst out laughing.  
"What?!" I gasp, "I don't… We're not… I'm not even her friend! She hates my guts! Like sure, she's beautiful and everything, I would love for us to be friends… She's just so _boring_! We have nothing in common!"  
"Ha, maybe it's just you mate," Bunnymund mutters, "She seems to be getting along with Tooth pretty well. Wait, you think she's beautiful?"  
"Yeah well, they're both girls. Of course they're going to get along better," I frown at him as I feel my icy cheeks burn a pale pink, "Anyway, aren't we meant to be planning on how to stop Pitch?"  
"We have time," North tells me, "Enough time for you and Verity Amour to become friends."  
"Why do you want me and her to be friends?!" I hiss, glancing towards Cupid. North stares at me with his large, knowing eyes as he says: "You know why."  
I sigh, glaring at the floor. Bunnymund laughs at me, giving me a soft shove. "Oh, cheer up," he says, pushing my shoulder softly, "Look, why don't you two try and find the entrance to Pitch's lair?" I pout, glancing at Tooth and Verity once again before nodding.  
"I'll get you for this," I mutter, prodding the over grown bunny with my staff. I stroll over to the blonde girl,  
"Hello, Jack," beams Tooth, while Verity jut sighs.  
"How've you been, Tooth?" I ask, grinning at her and she beams back at me, displaying all of her pearly teeth.  
"Oh, I've been great, Jack!" she squeals, before droning on about teeth. I laugh, letting her go on with herself and walking towards Verity.  
"Hey," I beam, but she looks at me coldly, "Whoa, no need to be so cold hearted." I hear Bunnymund and North snicker behind me, even Verity's lips are twitching.  
"Very funny," she says, glancing over my shoulder at Bunny, "Stop egging him on."  
We all burst out laughing, causing Verity to go all smug over her witty pun. Once we've all stopped laughing, I head towards the window and signal for Verity to come towards me. "Come on," I grin at her, "Let's go on an adventure." She raises her eyebrows at me, but then shrugs.  
"Well, if you insist," she says, "It better not be boring, though."  
"Oh, don't worry," I say, a cheeky smirk on my face, "I can assure you, it will not be boring."  
She pauses, staring at me. After a few moments, she leans in towards me with her large eyes focused on mine. "Then what are we waiting for?" she asks, leaping out of the window and waiting for me to guide the way. I laugh, accompanied by Babytooth, I dive out of the window and into the sky.


	8. Chapter 8

"So, where are we going?" asks Verity, a small smile on her face.  
"I didn't plan that far ahead," I shrug, "I didn't even think you'd come with me."  
"Why not?" I see her pout at me, causing me to laugh at her.  
"You're just so _boring_!" I state, smiling as I float on the air. Suddenly, she lunges for me and grabs a hold of my hoodie, shaking me violently.  
"Take that back!" she shrieks, but I just continue to laugh at her, "Shut up!" still chuckling, I attempt to pry her hands off me.  
"Well, you are," I smirk, "You're just so serious…"  
"No, I'm not!" she dives down into the woods below us, slamming me onto the ground. I manage to slow down the speed before any damage could be done.  
"Yes, you are!" I tease her, "You're serious, boring and… _sensitive_."  
"Shut your stupid face!" she yells, wrestling me. I laugh until I'm almost out of breath when I roll over and pin her down.  
"You're more sensitive than a fluffy pillow!" I giggle, flying into the air. She stares at me, a mixture of confusion and anger on her face.  
"That doesn't even make sense!" she yells, but I'm still laughing at her as I float over her head. I face her, only upside down. She looks different upside down.  
"Don't worry," I whisper, widening my eyes, "I'm sensitive, too… No, I'm kidding. It's just you." I stick my tongue out at the girl scowling in front of me. "Oh cheer up!" I add, poking her nose.  
"I'm not boring," she sneers, frowning.  
"Turn that frown upside down!" I smirk, pushing the corners of her mouth up with my fingers. She slaps my hands away, but she smiles back at me. "Come on," I roll over in the air so I'm no longer upside down, "Let's go on a cave hunt, yeah?"  
"I'm not five years old, Jack," she rolls her eyes at me as she rises into the air. I slip my hand into hers and lead her towards the mountains, and the moment we land she yanks her hand away.  
"What's wrong?" I ask, but she just wipes her hands on her jeans.  
"Gross, man," she sticks her tongue out, giggling.  
"That's not gross," I smirk, "This is!" I peck her cheek as she laughs, resulting with her punching me in the face.  
"No, that wasn't gross. It was revolting."  
I laugh, rubbing my cheek and glancing towards Verity. "Nice punch," I say, and she smirks.  
"Come on," she responds, "Let's go cave searching."  
"Should we split up?" I ask, walking towards the nearest cave within sight, "Or would that be too scary?" I prod her with my staff, making her shiver.  
"That's freezing!"  
"Oh yeah, I forgot you were sensitive."  
"Shut up, stupid," she mutters, chucking a rock at me, "Anyway, let's stick together."  
"Ooh, is little Cupid scared?" I tease, circling her with a broad grin on my face, "Need strong, brave, daring, dashing, handsome, hilarious, marvellous Jack Frost to protect you?"  
"Yes, I do," she smiles, "Just a shame I've only got you." Laughing, I walk into the dark cave and glance back every so often.  
"You alright?" I whisper, scanning the ground. There's nothing but weird rocks scattered around, but I hear no reply come from behind me. "Verity?" I turn around, to find a fear-stricken girl behind me. Verity has her large, blue eyes focused on the weird rocks. Only they're not rocks, but actually the skulls of young children. This is where the Piper stole the children, and if we don't get out of here soon, he could keep us imprisoned forever. Snatching Verity's hand, I drag her to the entrance and into the sky, staring at the cave. She's shaking as I wrap my arms around her.  
"Did you see them, Jack?" she whispered, tightening her grasp of my jumper. I rest my chin on the top of her head.  
"I saw the skulls, yes…" I murmur, landing her on the ground and hugging her tighter.  
"Did you hear them?" she cries softly, "They were screaming… begging…"  
"I didn't hear anything, Verity," I respond, "It was probably just your imagination."  
"It wasn't!" she snaps, pulling out of the hug, "I heard them!"  
"Okay! Okay…" I say slowly, watching as she bursts into a fresh batch of tears, "I'm sorry."


	9. Chapter 9

Verity curls up on the ground, sobbing violently as I hopelessly try to comfort her with petty things; "Don't worry, we'll stop the Piper and Pitch, even if it's the last thing I do!"  
"That doesn't change what happened to the children who are already dead!" the girl whimpers back at me, and lost for words I shove my hands in my pocket.  
"Where's Baby Tooth?" I ask Verity frantically, feeling around my hood and pockets.  
"Who?" she replies as I rip my jumper off, shaking it in hopes a sleeping Baby Tooth would be awoken. Nothing.  
"Baby Tooth," I repeat, panic overtaking my voice, "She's like, my best friend."  
"The fairy?" She replies, raising her head from her hands. All the colour drains from her face as she gets a sudden thought; "You don't think she's…?"  
I don't stop to respond. Flying straight back to the mountain, I search all around for the cave… only I find nothing. "No…" I whisper, running into rocks that seem out of place. As if they're filling something. "No!" I scream, yanking the rocks out and trying to pry them out with my staff, "Baby Tooth! Are you in there?" I can hear the horrified whimpers from behind the rocks, and… screaming. There's screams, begging coming from behind the rocks. Verity hadn't imagined it. I pull at the rocks, until finally creating a small gap, but small enough for a little fairy to fit through. "Baby Tooth! Quick!" I yell, seeing the frighten fairy fly through and onto my shoulder. I peek through the hole, spotting children. Only they can't be real, Verity and I would have seen Piper lead them in. I'm rooted to the spot with fear as I see them, they're starving… Some have collapsed, dropped dead…  
"Quick," comes a sudden voice, "Let's go!" It's just Verity.  
"I… I heard them," I whisper, "I saw them!"  
"Jack, we need to go!"  
"They were dying… I couldn't do anything…"  
"Jack! We can discuss this anywhere but here!"  
"They're dead… Those innocent children… dead…"  
She tugs at my arm, but I'm frozen to the spot. She leans over my shoulder and whispers, only I can't hear her. The screams are dominating my mind; they're getting louder and louder…  
"Hello, Jackson."  
I don't turn around, I don't have to. There's a reflection in Verity's wide eyes. A man dressed in a striped suit red and orange suit is standing behind me, grinning. His grin is ear to ear, and I see the flute in his hand. I slowly turn my head around, staring back at his piercing yellow eyes. "Oh yes," he whispers, "I've heard a lot about you. You're friend… not so much."  
"What are you doing here?" I snarl back at him, but he chuckles at me. I hear a whimper come behind me, pleasing the Piper.  
"Oh," he purrs, "Are you scared?" He waves his hand over the rocks, causing them to disappear.  
"No!" I bark at him, grinding my teeth as I tighten my grasp on my staff, slowly walking backwards as he approaches me.  
"Oh, the look on your friends face says different," his smile widens, revealing his small, pointy teeth. I glance over to Verity and see all the colour has drained from her face, her blue eyes filled with fear.  
"Don't worry, Verity," I whisper, "Everything's going to be fine. The bad guys _never_ win."  
"Don't count on that," chuckles Piper, putting the pipe to his lips and playing a soft, beautiful tune. My mind goes blank, everything seems to freeze and all I can hear is the tune coming from the pipe. It's fading, disappearing into the cave. I don't want it to stop, so I search the cave for it, only it ends all of sudden. I realise I'm in the far end of the cave and the Piper is in the other end, only he doesn't fill it with rocks. He fills the hole with a thick layer of ice. "Do you like that, Jackson?" his shout is muffled, but I can only just make it out, "I've been working on it." His laugh sends chills down my spine as he fades from view, I bang against the ice but it's far too thick.  
"Jack?"  
I spin around, spotting my fellow Guardian curled up on the floor, staring at me. I slide down beside her, staring into the sorrow that fills her eyes. She sniffs, wiping at her eyes.  
"Don't worry, Verity," I whisper, "Everything's going to be fine. I promise."


	10. Chapter 10

"How can everything be fine?" she sobs, "I'm stuck in here with you, of all people!"  
"Hey! I'm not the bad guy here!" I mutter, frowning, "Besides, Baby Tooth is here too, so you've got her for company."  
"I told Baby Tooth to go back for the others," she sighs, rising to her feet and walking down to the thick layer of ice, "You know, because _you_ wouldn't move." She walks back, picks the biggest rock she can carry and throws it with full force at the ice. Nothing happens.  
"That's great! Tooth should be back with the others any second!" I jump up and walk to the ice, prodding it with my staff.  
"Don't do that!" Verity snaps at me, "Unless you have the power to liquefy this ice, I suggest you leave it alone!"  
I kick the ice, irritated. "Well, we're stuck here until the others come, which could take a while," I shrug, thinking over ways to break the ice. He works with rocks, so he must have learnt to create ice to get to me, like Pitch did with his Nightmares to get at Sandy. I grind my teeth, but I've had more work with ice. Surely I can melt it? Although, I always leave it the way it is and let it melt itself. Perhaps that's what could happen now; Piper mustn't have thought it through. He only made the ice incredibly strong, like a rock, but this ice won't last. It's impossible. "At least the ice melts," I sigh to Verity, who just shakes her head at me.  
"The Piper works with _rocks_," she snaps, "Do you really think he wouldn't have thought this through?"  
"How would he have known we'd arrive today?" I retort, leaping to my feet and into the air.  
"He was probably going to lure us in here one way or another!" she barks, picking up a rock from the floor and chucking it at me.  
"More like me!" I snarl as the rock catches my forehead, "He doesn't even know who you are, not that you're the least bit intimidating anyway!" I see as the guardian below me, the girl with the long blonde hair and large blue eyes, suddenly clicks with rage. Her hair glows a fiery red while her eyes switch to a ferocious green. There's a strange, red glow on her hands, and once she slaps me across the face and knocks me to the ground, I realise they're on fire.  
"You know when you're in love, you feel all hot and uncomfortable?" she hisses at me through her teeth, "That doesn't just happen, it's a side effect." She clenches her fists, spurting flames and glaring at me.  
"Wait," I say, shifting in the unbearable heat, "You can create fire? Why don't you melt the ice, instead of melting me?!"  
"Don't you get it?!" she shrieks, striding over towards the ice, "It clearly can't break, so I doubt that it'll melt!" she places her flaming hands on the ice, which turns to liquid almost immediately. I laugh as I hold my staff to my flaming cheek, attempting to cool it down.  
"You were saying?" I smirk, watching her melt away all of the ice with her anger… and embarrassment.


	11. Chapter 11

"Oh, shut up," she retorts, "I had every right to think that he would have made it like rock. It just shows that I'm smarter than him."  
"Keep that up and he'll ask for you to join him," I tell her as she worms her way through the ice.  
"Why should he?" she snarls, "It's not like I'm intimidating enough to be the bad guy."  
"Look, I'm sorry…" I sigh, a pang of guilt striking my chest, "You can be pretty scary. You know, when you want to be. I wouldn't want to be on your bad side."  
"Little late, aren't you?" She rolls her eyes, tapping her foot impatiently as I slide out of the cave.  
"Well, if you really hate me," I grin, slipping over the water, "Why are you waiting?"  
"Because…" she mumbled, pink staining her cheeks, "Because the others could arrive any second now, and we're already out so they're no longer needed."  
"So, we've got to stay here until they come back?" I sigh, prodding the ice beside me.  
"Well, yes."  
"Great…"  
We wait there in silence, when suddenly North's sleigh appears from the sky, and with nowhere to land he just floats next to where we're standing. "How did you get out?" asks Tooth, while Baby Tooth flies over to me in a way that I can assume she's glad I'm alright.  
"Ask Verity," I say, climbing into the sleigh and offering my hand out to Verity, but she declines my help.  
"I discovered I can melt things, no biggie," she shrugs, heaving herself into the sleigh. I discover a petrified Bunnymund clinging onto the sides for dear life, which I can't help but snigger at.  
"So, we've finally found the lair…" North beams, "Perfect. Did you actually see him? What did he look like?"  
"The Piper?" I ask, before thinking over how to describe him, "Well, he wore this striped suit. Orange and… uhm… I can't remember… His hair was a… uh…"  
"His eyes were…" Verity tries to continue for me, but we both couldn't remember what he looked like at all. "He had a flute, thing…" Verity finally manages to say, but they already know that. Why can't we remember anything about him? Did the flute manage to erase our memory of him? I scratch my head, confused.  
"That's sneaky of him, very sneaky. How did he manage to form ice?" Bunnymund asks, tightening his grasp of the sleigh as he pulls himself into a sitting position.  
"I have absolutely no idea," I shrug, "But he's not very clever about it. Ice melts, while rocks…"  
"Do you think he just wanted to get to you?" Tooth questions me, and I nod in answer.  
"Pitch wasn't happy when I turned down his offer to join him," I tell her, "So he must have told the Piper to get to me in every way he can."  
"He doesn't know who I am, though," Verity added, running a finger along the sleigh, "He just thought I was some spare."  
"You were the one who got us out, though!" I do my best to cheer her up, but only I find a pair of irritated eyes staring at me.  
"You probably would have realised you can get rid of ice as well as make it," she sighs, but I don't believe this. What's so fun about getting rid of snow and ice?  
"Oh please," I roll my eyes, "I can't get rid of ice or snow, I just make it."  
"Whatever."  
That ends that conversation. Sighing, I rummage through my mind in attempt to remember what the Piper looks like, only there's nothing there. I can only hear a faint, soft tune echoing throughout my head but other than that… there's nothing left of him.  
I'm beginning to question whether he existed in the first place. Maybe I did the entire thing myself; I do control ice and snow, after all.


End file.
